This is exactly how you fly when you dream that you fly. — Yves Rossy
I love my job. Since I was 10 years old, I have been fascinated by finding new paths for businesses to grow and thrive. I was always the one getting into discussions with people about their businesses and their products—even as a youth, asking questions to help them see things in a new way. The journey of innovation and its many unique people and circumstances never grows old.
My job takes me to many unique places. As an innovation catalyst, I get to consult, speak and coach innovators from organizations of all sizes and levels of maturity. In 2013 alone, I spoke for dozens of CEO’s, several industry and professional groups and coached leaders in companies ranging from $B to those reaching for their first seven-figure year.
But hands-down my best experience of 2013 happened at AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, the world’s largest aviation convention for experimental and general aviation enthusiasts. It was here that I had the privilege of attending a presentation given by the Jetman himself, Yves Rossy. Yves is an interesting guy – he learned to fly fighters for the Swiss Air Force in his 20’s and later moved on to flying for the airlines. Ultimately, a love of skydiving drew him to the dream of powered skysurfing.
If you go to Yves’ website now, you see this buttoned down, well polished and highly sponsored view which represents the end game of an evolution that began in 1993. It was then that he began experimenting with a sky suit (then an inflatable wing), which eventually evolved to the rigid wing he now flies in 2014. In fact, it took two long years to get a stable-powered platform that could actually climb.
During his presentation at Oshkosh, Yves filled in the gaps: The details of working out aerodynamics for a structure the hard way (trial and error)…the test flights that were dynamically unstable…learning to use his body as the only active surfaces on the structure to turn, climb and descend:
“ To pitch up, I arch my back; to pitch down, I bend my body forward; to make a right turn, I tilt my head to the right; to initiate a roll, I move my shoulders,” Yves explained.
He spoke through tears of the long hours, personal risk and investment it took to see his dream through. He spoke of one harrowing flight where the fuzzy edge of risk and learning merged with faith and luck and of trying to fulfill a promise to cross the English Channel – a feat he ultimately accomplished in 2008 (note that’s 25 years of hard work!).
Crossing the English Channel was Yves’ big break. He spoke in detail of finally getting enough sponsorship money to go to a real wind tunnel and get some analysis of his craft. The results were that it was intrinsically unstable. Yes, for several years he had been flying a craft that should not have been flyable…simply out of pure determination.
“In theory, I should not have been able to fly,” he said. “But I corrected instabilities with instinctive body movements.”
In 2009, Yves faced another challenge: while attempting to cross the Strait of Gibraltar, the clouds closed beneath him, and having no horizon, he was forced to stall his craft and parachute into the ocean. And yet he persevered.
In 2010, he updated the design to the wing he flies today, but the challenges and evolutions continue. It took significant negotiation with the FAA to even allow him to do the demo flights at Oshkosh, since visual flight rules require a 30-minute reserve of fuel on board, and Yves only carries fuel for six to 13 minutes. However, with EAA’s influence, he was able to get a waiver and the thousands who saw him fly and the hundred who heard him speak will forever be grateful.
If you are interested in a more in-depth technical article on Yves’ current work, take a look at the piece published here after his appearance at the EAA AirVenture conference.
Takeaways
For most of us, our innovation journey doesn’t include bailing out of helicopters at high altitudes. And yet, there’s plenty we can learn from Yves’ experience:
- Perseverance is the fuel of innovation – Yves made small incremental steps, year by year, funded from his own resources to carry his dream forward. When setbacks came, he stepped back, rebuilt his motivation and moved forward. We may not be able to have the big sponsorship for our own innovation endeavors, but with a careful approach, you can almost always find a way to bootstrap your next step. What dream are you waiting on that you could take a small step forward on today?
- Innovation needs a safe learning environment – Yves made solid decisions about how to conduct his experiments. He always conducted his test flights from a safe altitude – with a parachute as the planned landing. While this certainly did not remove all risk – it provided a work zone where he could learn and progress. Many innovators build their businesses in the garage, while keeping the family safe with income from a day job. Can you begin the journey to your dream from a position of safety?
- Innovation needs a support team – When Yves looked to his bride with tears in his eyes and thanked her for the unwavering support, there was not a dry eye in the room. The innovation journey is to be enjoyed, so surround yourself with people who you truly enjoy being with, regardless of the outcome of your endeavor.
As you begin your innovation journey for 2014, I would love to hear your observations and thoughts on lessons from the Jetman. Please drop me a line or leave a comment below.
